Conn College '83 Revisits New London After 30 Years

My friends and I attended our 30th reunion at Connecticut College a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect – two days of sunny skies and pleasant 70º temps. We opted out of dorm accommodations because it was supposed to be hot. And I learned the hard way at our 20th reunion that  dorm mattresses are now covered in rubber. (When and why did they start doing that? To keep bed bugs out? How can anyone sleep on those?)

The Holiday Inn on Governor Winthrop Drive was nice, reasonably priced, and just a short walk to Bank Street, the train station and the ferry terminal. And, in between reunion events, there was time to explore downtown New London.

My two besties from '83 and I share memories of bountiful second hand and vintage clothing stores, as well as trips to Mr. G's, Ocean Pizza and multiple bars and clubs. Consider that the drinking age was 18 when we arrived at Conn College in 1979 and the school has always let freshmen have cars on campus.

As an Urban Studies major in the early 80s, I interned with the building inspector and visited houses in jeopardy of being condemned. We read The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. One class toured Starr Street on a class field trip. So it was such a nice surprise to discover New London's waterfront park with its 1/2 half mile promenade and pedestrian access points.  Jane Jacobs would be proud!!

Bank Street and the main arteries downtown have retained their charming streetscapes, with weathered red brick facades and colorful murals cheering up public parking lots. Unlike many other small cities in Connecticut, New London's architectural treasures and landmarks have survived and many have been nicely restored. It's too bad there are so many empty storefronts.

That said, we were delighted to discover several unique, one-of-a-kind stores, the type you can't find in a mall. We loved Greenlight Boutique with clever gifts displayed in and around vintage suitcases, hats and an antique red refrigerator. And the store keeper even offered us a chance to come back with the iced coffees we were craving and sit on the store's back deck overlooking the waterfront.

We also loved Flavours of Life, with fair trade merchandise that ranged from clothes to gifts to coffee.

Around the corner at 52 State Street, we hit paydirt with Pinc Boutique  where proprietor Kimberly Pettey fashions and sews much of the inventory of baby clothes, satchels and pillows. Everything was displayed beautifully and she has great talent. Shout-out to Kimberly!

On Golden Street, we were delighted to see El 'N Gee Club appeared as we remembered it 30 years ago.

Bank Street on the warm early June Friday night we arrived was teeming with people. We drove past a busy opening party for a Hygienic resident artist, and the building's facade was decorated for the theme "It's a Banner Day." Looked like fun. 

Also, on the route from town to Conn College, Mr. G's Restaurant was frozen in time – in a good way – serving up great pizza and a Greek salad with such generous feta cheese that it took the three of us to finish it.

On Saturday, we were pleased to see that "Sal's Boutique" remained in tact as well. Yep, The Salvation Army Thrift Store is still on Bank Street, though presumably Conn College students consider 80s clothes "vintage," while we trolled for 50s finds when we were undergrads.

A bit further up Bank Street, we had fun poking around the New London Antique Center, a huge repository of vintage finds and collectibles, run by the super nice Suzanne Berkman.

We stopped by the visitor information center, also known as the New London Trolley Building. We peppered the information center  volunteer with questions, which he cheerfully answered. He even explained that the small building previously served as a waiting room for a nearby train station and was later moved to its present location at 43 Golden Street. 

Before we hit the road on Sunday, we stopped at Sweetie's for iced coffee and road snacks. That restaurant is one I would like to frequent if I lived in New London. We loved the pink fridge and everyone knew each other. We were intrigued by the certificate on the wall for a prize Sweetie's won for their mac 'n cheese recipe and owner was welcoming despite being super busy with breakfast orders.

Now that I've had a chance to reflect on all the shopkeepers and business owners who were so welcoming and proud of all downtown has to offer, I realized that's what makes it so special. You can't expect that experience at a mall full of chain stores.

I'm not sure what I wish for downtown New London's future. There's always a downside to popularity. In my hometown, independent retail stores have given way to national chains. To be honest, I'd be sad to return to New London an find the The Gap, Applebee's, and Panera Bread taking up residence on Bank Street.

When the recession passes and New London hits its full economic stride, as I hope it will, I still think this quirky, charming vintage  city will increasingly be a draw. I'm checking the site New London Main Street to keep up. I know I'll be back. I'll have to return since we didn't make it to Ocean Pizza. I hear it's still there serving the our favorite Moussaka pizza!


Leslie Yager is a Patch Field Editor in Connecticut and Westchester, NY covering Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan, Darien, Rye, Port Chester, Harrison, Larchmont, New Rochelle and Pelham.